June - July 2018

june 13, 2018 General meeting

Now That You’re Here

At the June AAWGT education program four panelists outlined the services available to help navigate language and cultural barriers for those seeking medical help, legal advice, child and family social services, and education. The emphasis was on the Hispanic community as that is the largest and fastest growing group in Anne Arundel County.

Attendees were inspired by the stories of our speakers and left with an understanding that these efforts at language education, cultural assimilation, and general assistance requires greater attention from government and private sources.

Upcoming events our members are engaged in. We invite others to join AAWGT to participate with us.

2017 Grantee Spotlight: A Safety Net for Women

Planned Parenthood of Maryland (PPM) is a safety-net provider, serving people regardless of ability to pay. The Annapolis PPM location serves more than 4,000 women who may not otherwise have access to high-quality, comprehensive women's health services. These services -- breast health exams, pregnancy tests, Pap tests, HPV vaccinations, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) tests and treatment -- can help reduce the incidence of and mortality rate from cancer. Breast and cervical cancers are the primary targets. In Anne Arundel County, the few programs that assist women with paying for care require much paperwork and processing time. Funding from AAWGT means that PPM can make care more easily available and can focus on screening and treating women in need.

Leadership Letter

Twelve years ago a group of insightful women formed our giving circle. They wanted to increase their impact on improving the lives of women and families in Anne Arundel County. You know the good news, we have surpassed the $1 million mark in contributions to local non-profits, so let us take this space to talk about a bigger picture.

Why are we philanthropists? According to Sharna Goldseker of the Rockefeller Foundation, it is values, more than a specific issue or cause, that motivates us to be philanthropic. Different values influence our personal and philanthropic decisions. Which ones inspire you to Invest, Inform and Inspire?

Compassion: sympathy, care or concern for others Responsibility: doing what is expected of youCommunity: a meaningful connection Innovation: finding new and creative ways of doing thingsLeadership: guiding people and projects: setting the paceHelping: taking care of others and meeting their needsFriendship: experiencing close, ongoing relationshipsIntegrity: adhering to a moral or ethical codeCompetence: being effective at what you doRisk: exploring the unknown, testing limits.

These values are critical to our grants selection process.The process itself exemplifies integrity as the grants committee applies consistent evaluation criteria to the applications each year. They also innovate and that is how the new, two-year Momentum Grant came into being. Our members take seriously our mission to improve the quality of life for women and families in Anne Arundel County.

Our Giving Circle is a great source of community and friendship. We enjoy the time we spend with each other, even while working to be good stewards.

Thanks to all of you, we are keeping up the philanthropic momentum, and can take satisfaction in knowing we are able to make a difference.

Grants Showcase, September 12, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Sts Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 2747 Riva Road

This evening provides an opportunity to understand the real meaning of AAWGTs grant making. the 2017 grantees will talk about what they have been able to accomplish with our funding, and we will introduce the 2018 grantees.